Course syllabus

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Description

Why did Kanye West invite Jesus on stage during his Yeezus tour? Who is the new messiah – Harry Potter or Harry Styles? Why are Adam and Eve so popular in contemporary advertising? What do Winston Peters and Donald Trump know about the Bible? And why should we care?

This course introduces you to the various ways that biblical themes, images and characters have an enduring presence and influence within contemporary popular culture. By learning to analyse religious and biblical references found in music, film, TV, art, advertising and the media, you will discover that, even in today’s increasingly secular world, the Bible continues to both influence and be influenced by our cultural, political, and religious landscapes.

Some of the cultural texts we'll be studying will include:

  • Movies such as Lord of the Rings, Samson and Delilah, and Harry Potter.
  • Political rhetoric, including analysis of politicians such as Winston Peters, and Donald Trump.
  • Social media sites, including popular blogs, vlogs, Twitter, and FB.
  • Musicians and celebrities such as Kanye West, Beyonce, and Bob Marley.
  • TV shows such as The West Wing, American Gods and Buffy.
  • Visual arts and advertising images that depict biblical themes and characters.

The class will interest you regardless of your knowledge of the Bible. Any student can study the Bible whether they are of the Jewish or Christian faith, another faith, or of no religious faith at all. The Bible is explored as a cultural text in this course and all we require from students is a desire to learn more about significance and influence of the Bible in contemporary cultures, both national and global. 

The course outline can be downloaded here: THEOREL 101G course outline 2018.pdf

Your lecturer for this course is Dr Caroline Blyth: c.blyth@auckland.ac.nz 

Tutorial times and venues (but check venue on SSO in case of last-minute changes)

Mondays:

- 11am-12pm, OGGB room 321 (260-321)

- 12-1pm, Commerce A, room G17 (114-G17)

- 1-2pm, Commerce A, room G17 (114-G17)

Thursdays:

- 12-1pm, Rehutai Academic Block, room 101 (253-101)

- 2-3pm, Rehutai Academic Block, room 101 (253-101)

Fridays:

9-10am, Rehutai Academic Block, room 101 (253-101)

10-11am, Rehutai Academic Block, room 101 (253-101)

11am-12pm, Fale office building, room 107 (273-107)

12-1pm, Rehutai Academic Block, room 101 (253-101)

1-2pm, Rehutai Academic Block, room 101 (253-101)

 Topics covered in this course:

  • Week 1: Introducing the study of religion in popular culture
  • Week 2: The Bible: studying the Bible as a cultural text 
  • Week 3: Biblical characters and their cultural afterlives: how are biblical stories retold on screen? 
  • Week 4: The Jesus industry - how is the Jesus of the Bible 'transcribed' into visual form?
  • Week 5: Prophecy in the Bible and popular culture - who were the biblical prophets, and who fills this prophetic role in contemporary culture?  
  • Week 6: Apocalypse and the end of the world. What cultural function do apocalyptic stories serve, both in the Bible and pop culture? 
  • Week 7: The messiah, or "supersaviour", in the Bible and popular culture; including "popular messiahs" such as Harry Potter, Frodo, Buffy, Beyonce and Kanye West.
  • Week 8: The Bible in contemporary politics and the media: how is the Bible used and misued in contemporary politics? Why do politicians quote the bible, or insist that it is their "favourite book"? We consider the continuing political power of this ancient text. 
  • Week 9: Biblical violence in popular culture: is the Bible a violent book? What forms of violence does it contain? And does it have the potential to inspire contemporary forms of violence, including gender violence, racism, homophobia and transphobia?  
  • Week 10: The Devil made me do it - Satan in the Bible and pop culture.
  • Week 11: The Bible in/and advertising - why are biblical themes and characters so popular in advertising? Why do these religious images have 'selling power'? We'll look particularly at Jesus and Adam and Eve in advertising, as well as taking a brief look at some other religious imagery that often makes an appearance. We'll also consider the selling power of the Bible itself as a cultural commodity.
  • Week 12: exam revision.

    Each week's module will give you links to lecture slides, lecture recordings, some of the videos, and other resources we'll be using.

    Availability 2018

    Semester 2

    Class times and locations: check on SSO

    Learning outcomes:

    Upon completion of this course, students should:

    1. Have learned basic theories of analyzing popular culture and be able to apply these to cultural texts, including those encountered in class;
    2. Be able to explain how the Bible influences popular culture and how popular culture influences interpretations of the biblical texts;
    3. Be familiar with the ways in which the Bible functions as a cultural resource in a wide variety of contemporary contexts and cultures;
    4. Be able to identify some significant Biblical themes and characters as they appear in popular culture texts, including film, music, art, advertising, television and the media;
    5. Have learned the skills of writing an engaging and well-written essay, which others will want to read.

     

    Reading/Texts

    There is no textbook for the course, readings are listed and available on Canvas under the Reading List. Students need to have access to a Bible (either hard copy or online, e.g.https://www.biblegateway.com/).

     

    Assessment 

    Online quiz - 15%

    Essay proposal - 10%

    Essay - 25% (see essay help module here)

    Final exam - 2 hours; 50%

     

    Points

    15.0 points

    Restrictions

    THEOLOGY 101, 101G

    Course summary:

    Date Details Due